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SUMMARY

Fibroids are noncancerous tumors of the uterus that commonly cause heavy menstrual bleeding, pelvic pain and pressure, bowel and bladder problems, and sometimes infertility and miscarriage. Fibroids are also the leading cause of hysterectomy.

For women of African descent, fibroids develop at an earlier age and are more frequent and severe, making them a significant cause of health disparities.

Dr. Stewart's team does a variety of clinical and translational research, including studying the epidemiology of fibroids, the economics of fibroids and fibroid treatments, and the genetics of fibroids. She and her team also are developing new methods of fibroid diagnosis and treatment.

Fibroids all have some common features with other diseases that affect women's health, including leiomyoma variants, adenomyosis, endometriosis and endometrial polyps. Therefore, studies of these diseases are also included in her work.

Dr. Stewart's research is funded by major grants from the National Institutes of Health; foundations, including the Focused Ultrasound Surgery Foundation; and industry sources.

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